THE EVENING OF THE PHEASANT-HEN _A farmyard such as the sounds from behind the curtain have described. At the right, a house over-clambered with wistaria. At the left, the farmyard gate, letting on to the road. A dog-kennel. At the back, a low wall, beyond which distant country landscape. The details of the setting define themselves in the course of the act._ SCENE FIRST _The whole barnyard company,_ HENS, CHICKENS, CHICKS, DUCKS, TURKEYS, _etc.;_ THE BLACKBIRD _in his cage_, THE CAT _asleep on the wall, later_ A BUTTERFLY _on the flowers._ THE WHITE HEN [_Pecking._] Ah! Delicious! ANOTHER HEN What are you eating? ALL THE HENS [_Rushing to the spot._] What’s she eating? THE WHITE HEN A small green beetle, crisp and nice, tasting of the rose-leaves he had lived on. THE BLACK HEN [_Standing before the_ BLACKBIRD’S _cage._] Really, the Blackbird whistles amazingly! THE WHITE HEN Any little street urchin can do as much! THE TURKEY [_Solemnly._] An urchin who had learned of a shepherd in Sicily! THE DUCK He never whistles his tune to the end-- THE TURKEY That’s too easy, carrying it to the end! [_He hums the tune the_ BLACKBIRD _has been whistling._] “How sweet to fare afield, and cull--and cull--” You should know, Duck, that the thing in art is to leave off before the end! “And cull--and cull--” Bravo, Blackbird! [_The_ BLACKBIRD _comes out on the little platform in front of his cage and bows._] A CHICK [_Astonished._] Can he get out? BLACKBIRD Applause is salt on my tail! THE CHICK But his cage? THE TURKEY He can come out, and he can go in again. His cage has that sort of spring.--“And cull--and cull--” The whole point is missed if you tell them what you cull! THE BLACK HEN [_Catching sight of a_ BUTTERFLY _alighting on the flowers above the wall at the back._] Oh, what a gorgeous butterfly! THE WHITE HEN Where? THE BLACK HEN On the honey-suckle. THE TURKEY That kind is called an Admiral. THE CHICK [_Looking after the_ BUTTERFLY.] Now he has settled on a pink. THE WHITE HEN [_To the_ TURKEY.] An Admiral, wherefore? THE BLACKBIRD Obviously because he is neither a seaman nor a soldier. THE WHITE HEN Our Blackbird has a pretty wit! THE TURKEY [_Nodding and swinging his red stalactite._] He has better than wit, my dear! ANOTHER HEN [_Watching the_ BUTTERFLY.] It’s sweet--a butterfly! THE BLACKBIRD Easy as possible to make! You take a W and set it on top of a Y! A HEN [_Delighted._] A flourish of his bill, and there you have your caricature! THE TURKEY He does better than execute caricatures! Hen, our Blackbird forces you to think while obliging you to laugh. He is a Teacher in wit’s clothing. A CHICK [_To a_ HEN.] Mother, why does the Cat hate the Dog? THE BLACKBIRD Because he appropriates his seat at the theatre. THE CHICK [_Surprised._] They have a theatre? THE BLACKBIRD Where dumb-shows are given. THE CHICK Eh?